To emerge from a small, rural town and into the WPIAL spotlight is no easy feat. To emerge from such a lifestyle successful and ready to make a lasting difference in one’s community is quite exceptional. Yet to John Neff, physics teacher and head coach of North Allegheny’s Track and Cross Country Teams, there has never been a challenge tough enough to deter him from leaving a champion’s mark on his community.

Like most teachers at NASH, Mr. Neff is well known for the passion and enthusiasm with which he teaches his students. Those who are not familiar with his teaching have certainly heard of the energy and positivity that he brings to North Allegheny’s running programs, all of which are considered to be among the best in the WPIAL.

But despite knowing Coach Neff since becoming a member of the Cross Country team as a freshman, I was sent by The Uproar to uncover the story behind one of North Allegheny’s most influential coaches. How did North Allegheny become his chosen landing spot? What is his philosophy regarding the challenges of coaching?

Mr. Neff grew up on a small farm in Summerhill, Pennsylvania, partway between Johnstown and Altoona and often helped farmers around the area in what he describes as “a simple life.” While the region was best known for its strong football and wrestling traditions, running was not as popular. Still, a lack of popularity did not derail a young Mr. Neff’s gravitation toward the sport. When asked why he began his career, Mr. Neff replied, “I had a cousin on Cross Country and remember thinking ‘I can run at least as fast as he could,’ so I went out for the team. It turns out it was the best decision I ever made.”

Neff graduated from Forest Hills High School and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he ran and majored in science and math. Despite growing up “pretty poor” and being the first in his family to attend college, Neff claims his ability to do so was “all because of my ability to run.” After juggling a number of career options including medicine and computer science, Neff naturally drifted toward education and coaching.

“I always had this idea in the back of my mind, that if I were a teacher and if I were a coach, this is how I would do it,” he said.

While beginning his teaching career at Quaker Valley and experiencing different forms of coaching via the football and swimming programs, Neff saw an opportunity to become the Head Coach of Butler’s Cross Country program at only twenty-two years old. Although a fifty-five minute drive loomed between his teaching job and the coaching job he was applying for, it was not enough to deter his enthusiasm. Said Neff of the opportunity, “It was very natural. Of course, I was going to take that job.”

Despite being the youngest coach in the WPIAL and having a difficult few seasons, Coach Neff’s impact on the Cross Country program continued to grow. Each year saw an increase in athletes joining the team, and soon Butler athletes were making appearances at Pennsylvania States under his guidance.

Just prior to the 2003-2004 school year, North Allegheny began expanding the physics department and was looking to hire three physics teachers. There were also questions of who would fill the position of NA’s Head Track Coach, as the previous coach was entering retirement. Upon hearing of the opportunity, Neff applied for the job.

“I think the interview went really great, especially because they thought they could fill two spots with me” he said.

In 2005 Coach Neff first started assisting for the North Allegheny Cross Country Team, and by 2008 he was the program’s Head Coach.

But what was it like to take over programs that had been so successful in the past? “It’s extremely intimidating,” Neff said, “because you don’t want to be the guy who takes a team that’s on top and then takes it off a cliff.”

In spite of the pressure and facing a challenge, Neff would never let himself rest. Never wanting to be unprepared, Coach Neff spent every spare second implementing effective training methods and team motivation. According to Neff, his first few years as head coach were spent “trying to not let anybody down.”

The results soon paid off. His time at NA has seen six WPIAL track championships, including a four-peat, and a decade of dominance in Cross Country with eleven WPIAL XC championships stretching from 2005-2015.

To emerge from small town and a simple life is no easy feat. To emerge from such a lifestyle successful is even harder. Yet there are only a few people who are capable of challenging themselves, day in and day out, to have a positive impact on their community.

For fourteen years, John Neff has been a prime example of the conscientious attitude that North Allegheny values and, ultimately, as good an example of a champion that one will ever find: somebody striving to make the right choices, every time.